Lockheed Martin powers up its first GPS III satellite, stays on track for 2014

It's been awhile since we heard much about Lockheed Martin's GPS III satellite family beyond mention of an early prototype. The next-gen positioning system just took a big step forward with word that the company has successfully powered up the first production craft of the bunch, Space Vehicle One. Flicking the switch clears it for testing and keeps the GPS III program's 2014 launch window within view. More importantly, the activation takes us one step closer to improved GPS accuracy for civilians and soldiers alike.

Via: Phys.org

Source: Lockheed Martin

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By: Unknown On 9:49 PM

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Sky gives remote control powers to its Sky+ Android app, escalates living room warfare

Sky+ app remote control feature comes to Android

Tuesday 5th February: From today, Sky TV customers will be able to control their TV from any Android smartphone or tablet following the introduction of remote control functionality to the Android version of the Sky+ app. People with an internet-connected Sky+HD box and an Android smartphone or tablet will be able to use their device to change channels as well as pause, play and rewind TV with a quick swipe or tap of their fingers on their device screen.

Sky TV customers can also now manage their planner through the Sky+ app, allowing them to add and delete recordings they have stored on their Sky+HD set-top box, without interrupting viewing on the main TV.

The new update is just the most recent to the popular Sky+ app, which makes it really simple and easy to find out about and plan great TV to watch. Other useful features of the app include being able to browse the entire week's TV through a user-friendly TV Guide, remote record both individual programmes and entire series, get recommendations of other programmes you may like, and manage recording clashes. On Demand listings will join the Android app later this year.

All people need to do to enjoy this latest feature of the Sky+ app is to connect their compatible Sky+HD box to the same WiFi network as their Android device.

Launched in 2009, the Sky+ app has been downloaded more than 5 million times and ranks in the Top 20 Entertainment apps in the App Store. The award-winning* Sky+ app sits alongside a wide range of leading mobile apps available to Sky customers at no extra charge.

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By: Unknown On 10:08 PM

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Galaxy powers Samsung to record $8.3 billion profit

1 of 6. A man uses Samsung Electronics' tablet Galaxy Tab 10.1 on display for customers at the company's headquarters in Seoul in this file October 7, 2011 file photo. Samsung Electronics, the world leader in mobiles and memory chips, said it likely earned a quarterly profit of $8.3 billion, as it sold close to 500 handsets a minute and as demand picked up for the flat screens it makes for mobile devices, including those for rival Apple Inc products.

Credit: Reuters/Jo Yong-Hak/Files

By Miyoung Kim and Hyunjoo Jin

SEOUL | Tue Jan 8, 2013 8:49am EST

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics, the world leader in mobiles and memory chips, said it likely earned a quarterly profit of $8.3 billion, as it sold close to 500 handsets a minute and as demand picked up for the flat screens it makes for mobile devices, including those for rival Apple Inc products.

That run of five straight record quarters may end in January-March on weaker seasonal demand, though a strong pipeline of smartphones - the South Korean group's biggest earner - and improving chip prices have eased concerns that earnings growth could slow this year, powering Samsung shares to record levels last week.

The stock closed down 1.3 percent on Tuesday, in a Seoul market that fell 0.7 percent.

"Investors are a bit concerned that Samsung's momentum may slow in the first half. The smartphone market is unlikely to sustain its strong growth as advanced markets are nearing saturation despite growth in emerging countries," said Kim Sung-soo, a fund manager at LS Asset Management.

Samsung has outpaced Apple - its biggest rival and biggest customer - despite the U.S. firm's launch of the latest iPhone 5, with sales momentum boosted by its Galaxy Note II phone-cum-tablet, or 'phablet', in the fourth quarter. IPhone 5 sales were a little below expectations, analysts said.

While Apple rolled out just a single new smartphone last year globally, Samsung bombarded the market with 37 variants tweaked for regional and consumer tastes, from high-end smartphones to cheaper low-end models. By comparison, Taiwan's HTC Corp released 18 models, Nokia 9 and LG Electronics 24.

HTC on Monday said its fourth-quarter profit slumped more than 90 percent as its sales continue to trail those of the Galaxy range and the iPhone.

Samsung, valued at close to $230 billion, gave its October-December earnings guidance on Tuesday, ahead of the full earnings release expected by January 25.

A HIGH NOTE

Shipments of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S III, which overtook the iPhone 4S in the third quarter to become the world's best-selling smartphone, are likely to have slipped to around 15 million in the last quarter from 18 million in July-September, analysts estimate, but sales of around 8 million Galaxy Note II 'phablets' should more than make up for that - pushing overall smartphone shipments to around 63 million.

"The Note was selling well, boosting fourth-quarter profit, while iPhone 5 sales were less than expected," said Song Myung-sub, an analyst at HI Investment & Securities.

"Samsung's profit will drop in the current quarter because of decreased phone profits. It will launch the Galaxy S IV only in March or April so, without new models, phone sales prices will fall this quarter. For the whole year, Samsung will launch new models faster than Apple and have the upper hand in the smartphone market."

The new Galaxy, widely expected to be released within months, may have an unbreakable screen and full high-definition quality resolution boasting 440 pixels per inch, as well as a better camera and a more powerful processor.

"Samsung's smartphone shipments are likely to grow even in a seasonally weak first quarter. The early launch of the Galaxy S IV would drive second-quarter growth momentum," said BNP Paribas Securities analyst Peter Yu, who predicts Samsung's 2013 operating profit will grow 25 percent to almost $35 billion.

Samsung is expected to increase its smartphone sales by more than a third this year, and widen its lead over Apple as it offers a broader range of mobile devices, said Neil Mawston, executive director at market researcher Strategy Analytics, which forecasts Samsung will sell 290 million smartphones this year, up from a projected 215 million in 2012.

Kim Sung-in, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities, sees Samsung shipping 320 million smartphones this year and doubling sales of its tablets to 32 million.

STRONG NUMBERS

Samsung said its October-December operating profit jumped 89 percent to 8.8 trillion won from a year ago, just ahead of a forecast for 8.7 trillion won by 16 analysts surveyed by Reuters. That is 8.6 percent higher than its previous record of 8.1 trillion won in July-September.

Analysts expect profits from the mobile division to more than double from last year and increase slightly from the previous quarter, to around 5.8 trillion won. A recovery in chip prices and flat screens should also boost component earnings, helped by booming sales of mobiles carrying Samsung's chips, micro-processors and flat screens.

Reflecting the strong outlook, shares in Asia's most valuable technology stock last week hit a life high of 1.584 million won ($1,500). The stock gained 44 percent last year, topping Apple's 31 percent increase and easily outpacing a 9 percent rise on the broader Korean market.

Samsung, led by founding family member and chairman Lee Kun-hee, is embroiled in a patent legal battle with Apple globally. Apple won a $1.05 billion verdict against Samsung in August, but has failed to win a permanent sales ban on several, mostly older Samsung models.

(Additional reporting by Joyce Lee and Narae Kim; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)

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By: Dilusha On 10:40 PM

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DOJ to use prosecutorial powers in state-sponsored cyberespionage

December 20, 2012 — CSO — The Department of Justice (DOJ) plans to throw its prosecutorial weight behind efforts to stem the growing number of foreign government-sponsored cyberattacks against U.S. companies and government agencies.

The DOJ's effort marks a shift in combating the national security threat. In the past, the Department of Homeland Security, the Defense Department and the National Security Agency led investigations of state-sponsored cyberespionage.

Now, the DOJ will step up the part it plays by prosecuting government officials and hackers with the Federal Bureau of Investigation providing the police work.

"There is, I guess, a tactical shift when we're dealing with cyber-threats and national security to examine whether criminal investigations and prosecutions are a viable option in some of these cases," DOJ spokesman Dean Boyd said on Wednesday. "And I think we're pursuing that very vigorously with the FBI."

While acknowledging that arresting perpetrators in some countries would be difficult, the DOJ has been successful in extraditing suspects in other cases, such as terrorism, cyber-hacking that wasn't state sponsored, and the illegal exportation of weapons and technology from the U.S., Boyd said. For example, a suspect in a country without an extradition treaty with the U.S. is sometimes arrested when visiting another country.

"We do believe that does hold some deterrent value," Boyd said of the prosecutorial plans. "I don't believe we're saying this is the silver bullet, but our whole philosophy is about bringing all tools to the table and we believe this is one potential tool in the government's toolbox to deal with cyberthreats and national security."

As part of the latest effort, the DOJ's National Security Division is creating within U.S. Attorney offices across the nation a new position called the National Security Cybersecurity Specialist. The prosecutor will be specially trained to work with companies that are believed to be victims of state-sponsored cyberattacks.

The U.S. Defense Security Service reported this week that the number of foreign cyber-attacks bent on stealing U.S. technology, intellectual property, trade secrets and classified information rose by 75 percent fiscal years 2010-11. The FBI reported in July that cyberespionage cost the U.S. $13 billion through the first quarters of the fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30.

While supporting the arrest of cyberspies, experts do not believe the DOJ's efforts will an impact on the upward trend in cyberespionage, because of the difficulty in extraditing suspects from a country sponsoring at attack.

Nevertheless, a prosecutorial approach would embarrass nations and government officials, said Darren Hayes, a Pace University professor and an expert in computer forensics and security. Also, if any companies are involved, then the U.S. government could prevent them from doing business in the U.S.

[See also: Chinese cyber-espionage threatens U.S. economy, DoD says]

In addition, cases against the worse offenders could be used as a negotiating chip in future talks, Hayes said. In addition, the U.S. could join other nations targeted by the same countries to take punitive actions collectively.

"[The U.S. government] may be able to build up some kind of global alliance to combat some of these attacks," Hayes said. "It's not just the U.S. that's being attacked and intellectual property stolen."

One area where locating suspects would be difficult is in cyberattacks against industrial control systems (ICS) that run the nation's critical infrastructure, such as power plants, nuclear facilities and water filtration systems. An attack on an ICS would be much more difficult to trace to the source than the hacking of a corporate or government information system, said Joe Weiss, managing partner of Applied Control Solutions and an expert in ICS security.

First, there is the difficulty in determining whether equipment failure in a facility is due to a cyberattack or an internal mechanical or electrical problem, Weiss said. Secondly, attacks on information systems are usually identified through logs in security-related technology. With ICS, that kind of information is seldom available.

"Trying to get attribution from anything that's cyber is very, very difficult when it comes to an ICS," Weiss said. 

Read more about malware/cybercrime in CSOonline's Malware/Cybercrime section.

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By: Dilusha On 9:42 AM

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